NHK gives the late Hibari Misora the VOCALOID AI treatment for 30th anniversary

The late Hibari Misora’s 30th anniversary is this year and using AI technology, NHK will be broadcasting “NHK Special AI de Yomigaeru Hibari Misora” on September 29th at 7:00 p.m.

The program will use AI technology via Yamaha’s “VOCALOID: AI” and a new song is sung by “AI Hibari” titled “Arekara” by Nogizaka46/AKB48 producer Akimoto Yasushi, who worked on her last song “Kawa no nagare no yo ni” (which was voted in 1997 on NHK as the “Greatest Japanese song of all time”).

And a 4K 3D hologram of a life-size AI Hibari will be performing which people will match Hibari’s eye and mouth movement as seen from past videos on stage.

Hibari passed away from pneumonia on June 24, 1989.